A Unique 'Hello'
by Logan27
Summary: Just watched 7x21 of Vampire diaries and felt like fast forwarding events a little.
_**Caroline...**_

The girls were asleep finally. They had wanted to stay up for so long since their mommy could come back home. Bonnie's killer instincts had been taken care of, thanks to Enzo and Damon. Those are words she never thought she would think or say. And now her friend was happily staying in a cabin with the first of said vampires probably having endless amounts of sex. Which is something Caroline did not want to think about so she shook her head and went into the kitchen where Rick was browsing through the refrigerator.

"Anything good?" She asked.

Rick popped his head up, leaning slightly on the open fridge door. "Well, since I was left to do the grocery shopping, there are a lot of brands that I don't think are what we usually get. Mostly because they taste awful. And even if they are the same exact kind, they don't have the loving consideration of my beautiful fiancee so no, nothing good."

He was one of the sweetest men she had ever met. He appreciated her the way that she'd always wanted to be. He looked at her in the kind of adoring way that so few had before. He was the first man that she ever looked at as father material. Rick always said and did the right things. He always knew how to make things better, for her and the girls. And those girls... they were her world. They were everything that she held dear. This man, this professor, this demon slayer, this wonderful father, doting and caring future husband, this good looking man to boot... was not the love of her life.

What Caroline wanted more than anything was to be able to look Rick in the eyes and say that she loved him to. She wanted to turn their separate rooms into one. She wanted to want physical intimacy with him. But it simply wasn't there. Not really. There were times when she would look at him, his handsome features and amazing smile, and think about just going for it with him. But for Caroline, it would be compartmentalizing. There would be the moments when she adored the father of her children and moments when she was using this guy to satisfy sexual urges that nearly anyone could. It wouldn't be true intimacy. She probably wouldn't even look at his face much. That thought was so disgusting to her.

"You want me to make you something?" She asked.

"No, I think I'll just browse a little more and deal with my inadequate shopping skills," he joked and smiled at her. She smiled back of course but her stomach was churning. She was so conflicted. So lost. They would be getting married soon. It wouldn't be that romantic ceremony that she had always wanted. It wouldn't be all of her closest friends and family like she had imagined so many times. At one point, she had seen Tyler in that tux. At another, she had seen Matt even though that one didn't last long. She even saw Stefan standing at the alter with her one day. But dressing Rick up, dressing up that entire day, would feel so fake. It would feel like she was tricking him some how, lying. So, she'd opted for city hall.

The man in front of her went back to peering into the fridge, light shining from within as he made a face at some generic brand cheese sticks. Caroline leaned against the door frame to the kitchen and sighed a little. Things were just a mess but that was something that she was going to keep an internal matter. Suffer in silence if it meant that their "little family" would thrive.

That's when the door bell rang.

Rick popped his head up again, confused. They weren't expecting anyone and the Salvator brothers had said that they would call first instead of just showing up on their doorstep. In fact, they had made everyone promise to do that except for Bonnie. He and Caroline looked at one another but neither had an answer.

"I'll get it." Caroline walked down the hall as Rick shrugged and again went back to indecisively shuffling food around on the shelves.

The beautiful blonde reached the knob of the front door and swung it open to greet the visitor. "Hello?" She asked as she looked up.

Caroline froze.

"Hello, Caroline. Heard you were looking for me." Klaus stood there on the porch with a smug smile on his face, hands clasped behind his back. In an instant, so many thoughts and feelings rushed through her head.

 _ **Klaus...**_

There she stood. Caroline was more beautiful than he remembered. Her face was contorting between emotions and he couldn't really tell what she was going to do or say next but if he was a betting man, he would say she was about to slam the door in his face, slap him or just all out yell. Any of the above would be quite fitting for the two of them. But what did happen next is something he would have never seen coming.

She suddenly flew into motion, out of the house and flung herself into his arms and wrapped him in a hug, her face buried in his shoulder.

Klaus was so surprised at first that he didn't know what to do. But he at least had the sense to encircle her in return.

This was the action of a woman who had so desperately needed someone, him specifically. As though having been held under water and now that she had surfaced, she was taking in a deep breath and feeling the blessed relief. She held him close, one hand in his hair at the back of his neck and one between his shoulder blades, clutching his shirt like a lifeline. He was reminded of the day she was running from the teacher who was now inside the house. She'd been terrified. And even though she had been scared, it was a happy memory for Klaus. When Caroline realized it was him that held her in that moment, she instantly relaxed. He was her savior, her solace. Before, it would have been unthinkable that she would be so relieved and glad to see him. It was the first time she'd seen him in that light.

It was very similar today. It was like she was again running from Alaric and God knows what else and Klaus had been there so save her. But was it really like that? Why would she find such sudden unencumbered peace at his appearance? He'd heard that she had been looking for him, even saw all the missed phone calls and text messages but it had all been very formal. Asking for help and whatnot. He had no idea that Caroline had needed him this badly and in a much more dire way than just the powerful hand of a villainous ally.

He began stroking her hair. "What is it, Love?"

Before she could answer, she heard Rick from the kitchen. "Care? Who is it?" He was shutting the fridge and about to round the corner into the front hallway. Caroline quickly shoved away from the Original hybrid and looked over to see her fiancee come into view.

As soon as he saw Klaus, he huffed out a breath, stopped where he was and slightly rolled his eyes. "Great. The second of your exes to show up at our door this past month." he mumbled and turned around to go upstairs.

Caroline's shoulders slumped, guilt washing over her. "I- I'll uh, be just a few minutes," she called after him and saw his hand flick a wave as he continued up the stairs, probably going to kiss their sleeping girls goodnight.

"Whooph, not easy being the man in _your_ life, is it Sweetheart?" Klaus remarked.

Caroline turned to him, arms crossed and looking like she wanted to do exactly what he'd assumed when she had first opened the door. "That's none of your business, actually."

"Isn't it?" He asked and she opened her mouth to respond but looked like she couldn't think of anything to say. He'd stumped her.

His features grew soft and he reached out to touch her arm. "But really, what's the matter, Love? I finally was able to check my messages and saw all the ones you left and I heard that you'd shown up in New Orleans with the little ones. What's going on?"

At his touch, Caroline had softened as well. She slowly unfolded her arms as she began explaining Rayna, Stefan, Bonnie... the whole story really. Just the abridged version.

When she was done, they had moved to the porch swing and were sitting close. It wouldn't be far fetched to say they were snuggling. He had one arm behind her back and his other hand was comfortingly intwined with hers, soothing as he rubbed the back of it with his thumb. He could hear that Alaric was inside somewhere towards the back of the house, eating what sounded like a sandwich.

"It sounds like you need a break from it all."

"But I just got back home to the girls." She said, her head resting on his shoulder as it had been.

"Bring them along. Go on a girls' trip. New Orleans is nice this time of year."

"I thought you haven't been there in years?" She looked up.

"I've recently figured out how to recapture control of certain situations. It's a lot safer now and I'm about to be back on top, where I belong."

"Tell me about it." Caroline's eyes went wide, not believing that she'd just said that in reference to his sexual skills. And he knew it too which was why he was chuckling.

"So? What do you say, Love? Take a Mother-daughters week to relax and recoup? It might help you suss things out."

Caroline took a deep breath and looked off at nothing in particular in front of them. "If I do, you have to promise me no 'funny business'." Klaus laughed at the term. She met his eyes.

"Nothing will happen to you in my city that you don't want." But Klaus knew that that was just it. She did want. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in her body next to him. She had never stopped wanting him. Never stopped missing him, though she'd never said it aloud. He knew.

"It's settled then. I'll get four first-class tickets to New Orleans and deliver you safely there myself. And just so you don't have to add any more drama to your plate, I'll give you a few days to talk to your whatever-he-is in there," Klaus waved his hand dismissively in Alaric's general direction, "and you can tell him what you like. He doesn't have to know where you're going nor who's escorting you."

Caroline just nodded and squeezed his hand before she stood up and walked back inside, glancing back once.

Klaus walked down the steps after the door closed, happy as could be. His Queen would finally be coming home. And he was going to make damn certain she stayed there and realized it was where she belonged. Thoughts her daughters and his playing together, along with the ways he could seduce Caroline were what made him smile all the way back to his hotel room.


End file.
